1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a first plug connector module of a plug connector for simultaneously connecting a plurality of electrical contacts between a test signal generator and a measurement card of a handling fixture, which delivers elements to be tested to the measurement card.
The invention further concerns a second plug connector module of such a plug connector.
2. Description of the Background Art
Test signal generators, measurement cards, and handling fixtures are used in the testing of wafers and integrated circuits. The test signal generators, which are frequently also referred to as “test heads,” are capable of providing a variety of different signals for testing. The test signal generator is connected to the measurement card, which in turn is periodically loaded by the handling device with components to be tested, and which may also provide signals that are exchanged between the test device and the elements to be tested. The components to be tested are frequently referred to as “devices under test,” which is the source of the name “DUT board” for the measurement card. Handling fixtures are also frequently referred to as “handlers/wafer probers.”
A typical test duration for a complete series or batch of components is on the order of a few hours to a few days. The testing of a batch is generally followed by the testing of a different batch, which requires different signal processing and thus a different, new measurement card. To remove the old measurement card from the system and integrate the new measurement card, the connection between the test signal generator and the measurement cards must be opened and closed.
In this context, a conventional method called direct docking is known for connecting the test signal generator to the measurement card on the handling fixture. This is understood to mean a direct connection of the “test head” with the aid of a manipulator on the “handler.” This solution is very expensive (typical costs of 80,000 Euros per docking system) and requires a great amount of space on account of the combination of the test signal generator, manipulator and handling fixture. Moreover, the contacting is very sensitive to mechanical shock to the handling fixture on account of the direct connection.
Another conventional method for opening and closing the plug connection provides a cable connection with the aforementioned plug connector modules in place of the direct docking. When the connection is being made, one of the plug connector modules is guided by guide rails that are fastened to the other plug connector module. Due to the great complexity of the test signal generator, several hundred contact pairs must generally be connected or disconnected with such plug connectors. The large number of contacts results in a high packing density of the contact arrangement in the plug connector modules, and also produces a high total resistance, resulting from the sum of the resistances of all individual contact pairs, which must be overcome when connecting the plug connector modules. A typical value for the total resistance to be overcome is 500 Newtons for a plug connector with several hundred contact pairs. Such forces can be manually applied only with difficulty, and can also result in damage to individual contacts in the presence of even small inaccuracies in guidance. In order to avoid damage to the contacts, all contacts must make contact as close to simultaneously as possible, which requires precise guidance. The high insertion and extraction forces make manual connection and disconnection more difficult. Replacement of defective contacts, which can be damaged because of the high forces in the event of insufficiently precise guidance, is time-consuming and expensive, especially if the entire test system is out of operation during the repair.